"Very well," James raises his hands and claps slowly but loudly. He stands at the doorway, slowly pacing towards us. Following behind him are three burly-looking men who quickly spread apart, covering the room's corners.
However, his claps are not to applaud but to mock. James is devilishly a handsome man in his mid-thirties but doesn't have the aura of domineering and stunning CEOs. He has gold piercings on his ears, messy bangs that he keeps pushing to the side, and tattoos painting his entire arms. He stands tall in a pair of signature rubber shoes and bleached denim jeans, coupled with a button-up shirt that lays open down to the center of his chest. His figure better fits the definition of a mobster.
James looks at Zed and says, "I always know you would come to play the role of a knight in shining armor, saving a damsel in distress."
I glance at Zed, now sitting beside Ella and holding her hand. He looks back at James, his eyes keen and watchful.
"What I hate is that you seep so much into my skin like a leech. And now, you step in again to take my role. Shall I be happy with that?" His eyes fall on two hands that clasp together. I know it's an act of betrayal in his eyes.
Zed doesn't move and say a word but holds his gaze without blinking.
"I know you will come to show your professed love and support, so I speed up the surgery and the mental deterioration of my cousin. So that he can take my place behind bars and I can be the first person my baby's eyes will lay upon. Sadly, you robbed that moment from me and induced his coming out prematurely." He glances at Mitch and the latter coils to the side in fear.
James then shows a video of a cousin who looks like him. The cousin has a similar build, but he seems disheveled in a jail uniform. If they are to stand side by side in that same outfit, no one can tell which one is which.
"But it's good that you're here. You make it much easier for me to catch you. No sweat!" James laughs like a maniac, and I start to presume that he is the devil personified. "My men said you have too many backups, so I guess you're right in stepping into the lion's den."
My legs shake so hard that I'm beginning to lose my strength. I glance at Mitch to see her reaction, but she's no less terrified than me. She stands shaking beside Zed, her lips white as a sheet of paper.
"You may think I'm that stupid for telling you how I escaped, but I'm not. Because you will never be able to come out alive from this place."
James swiftly pulls out a gun from his side and aims it at Zed. I yelp in fear, wanting to scream the next, but I'm afraid it will only trigger his anger further. There are only five of us in the room, and I wonder where Mr. D has gone.
If Mr. D is not conspiring with James, there must be bloody scenes first before allowing James and his company to enter the premises. But whose place is this? Does Mr. D bring us into James' territory instead?
With the thuds of my heartbeats as the only sound I hear, I watch the two men without blinking. The ticking of time feels like an eternity, and my heart seems to explode at any minute. . If James shoots Zed, Ella's chance of missing the bullet is thin.
As if reading my mind, James gazes at me. "Fiancees can be replaced but not missed opportunities."
I cringe at what he says. Of course, it only means he doesn't care if Ella gets hit in the process. But what about his son?
"Don't scare your son, Mr. Mori. You are disturbing his sleep."
I stare at James, watching his reaction. Because he is obsessed with Zed, he doesn't notice the tiny bundle beside Ella. I know my distraction is futile, but all we have to do is buy time. Zed can't even carelessly dash out of the room because he is at a disadvantage.
He blinks as if reality has just dawned on him. "Take him out!"
Mitch immediately moves to take the baby while I also initially pace toward the crib. But then I remember my promise to Zed. That we'll die in this together.
Zed quickly jumps to the other side of the bed at this distraction, staying away from Ella. He knows that James doesn't think rationally anymore, so he chooses to feed himself into the lion's mouth. James and the men get alarmed at this movement, and they all throw their arms forward, aiming their guns at him.
Suddenly, the door opens, and a man runs forward, showing a phone to James. "It's the queen."
James sweeps a hand at the side, gesturing for his men to watch Zed closely. The queen must be significant to him because he allows the call to distract himself.
"My queen!" James greets her. I'm surprised that he leaves the speaker on for everyone to hear. I instantly suspect that this is another declaration of our impending doom.
"How are you?" comes the voice from the end of the line.
"I'm good. Just successfully got out of hell."
"Where are you now?"
James chuckles first before answering. "I'm on a task to remove an eyesore."
"How much of an eyesore?"
"He and his team are the ones supporting the accusations against me."
"What else?"
"He steals my fiancee, overlaps with my responsibility as a father and now letting me catch them cheating."
"Why do I hear another story from my source?"
James winces and stares at the phone. It seems that this woman has authority over him. "What do you mean, my queen?"
"That you consented to let your woman marry someone else because of a deal. How true is it?"
James bites his lips, and his face contorts to a frown. "It's true, my queen."
"Deal?"
"Yes. I pirated Mr. D's loyalty in exchange for marriage and Kim's downfall. I also want to see him crawling to the ground."
"Then why still bother this woman?"
"I want to see my son. Take him from her, until I could get her back. But this eyesore has shown up, shown how he has taken my place again."
"Who will take care of the baby?"
"A friend named Maezy."
"Are you romantically involved with her?"
"No. Only for sex."
Wow! I never expect that someone can make his knees tremble in fear. Someone who can make him confess, even his sex life. But who is she? Why does he call him queen?
"What are your plans for this eyesore?"
He chuckles as he looks up and down at Zed. His three men have now moved closer to Zed. Just a signal from him, and he doesn't need to dirty his hand on Zed.
"Take care of him personally."
"What takes you long in taking care of this eyesore?"
"He has the government backing him up, men tailing him everywhere."
"Don't act rashly."
"Yes, my queen."
Hearing this, Zed immediately leaps towards the opposite corner of the bed.
Zed only wants to get away from Ella as much as possible. He wants to get away to spare her from the bullets. And it looks like he has already resigned to his possible demise.
But James and his men don't understand this. They take it as a move against them. And before I can blink, a deafening sound of an explosion shakes the room.
"Stop!" I turn in the direction of the voice before my legs give way and send me crumbling to the floor.